New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Super PAC has spent at least $660,000 for 12 days of TV ads blasting Debbie Halvorson’s (D) past support from the National Rifle Association in an attempt to influence the outcome of the Illinois 2nd Congressional District special election, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Bush Family Emails Hacked
“The apparent hack of several e-mail accounts has exposed personal photos and sensitive correspondence from members of the Bush family, including both former U.S. presidents,” The Smoking Gun reports.
“The photos and e-mails were uploaded yesterday to an online account that appears to have been hacked for the purpose of hosting the material… Included in the hacked material is a confidential October 2012 list of home addresses, cell phone numbers, and e-mails for dozens of Bush family members, including both former presidents, their siblings, and their children.”
Republicans See Video Games as Bigger Threat Than Guns
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that 67% of Republican voters believe violent video games represent a bigger threat to safety than guns.
Christie Struggles with the Politics of Fat
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “took to Dave Letterman’s couch, donut in hand, on Monday night, joining one of his chief late night tormenters for some jokes at his own expense,” Politico reports.
“The calculation was clear – try to turn the potential negative into a positive, a strategy used by many a politician, including Al Gore during his 2000 presidential campaign.”
“But Gore’s problematic trait was stiffness, not size. And by Wednesday, Christie had undercut his own strategy, saying a former White House doctor who expressed fears that his weight could be life-ending if he were president ‘should shut up‘ since she hasn’t examined him and doesn’t know his medical history.”
Senators Quietly Seek Deal on Background Checks
“A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ‘F” ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to find a compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks,” the AP reports.
“A deal, given a good chance by several participants and lobbyists, could add formidable political momentum to one of the key elements of President Obama’s gun control plan. Currently, background checks are required only for sales by the nation’s 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers, but not for gun show, person-to-person sales or other private transactions.”
Investigation Into Texas Political Operative Expands
“The campaign manager for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R), already facing a
state investigation over allegations of theft from Dewhurst’s political
account, has been accused of also taking at least $1 million from the
Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign last year,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
Congressman Fires Spokesman for Tweet
Rep. Raul Labrador’s (R-ID) fired his spokesman after he mistakenly tweeted in the name of his boss about his admiration for two actresses pole dancing in a Super Bowl ad, the Idaho Statesman reports.
The tweet, “Me likey Broke Girls,” was deleted after 14 seconds but is archived on a website that collects deleted tweets from politicians.
Obama Will Head to North Carolina After SOTU
Sources tell WLOS-TV that the White House is in the planning stages for
a day-trip by President Obama to Asheville, North Carolina the day after his
State of the Union Address.
Dick Morris Makes Another Prediction
Dick Morris told Piers Morgan that he “absolutely believed” Mitt Romney would beat President Obama in last year’s presidential election.
Said Morris: “I absolutely believed it and so did a lot of people.”
Morris also made another prediction: “The Republican Party has to change in fundamental ways, otherwise it will never win another election.”
New York Times: Dick Morris and Fox News part ways.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m going to try to be brief because I notice you’re on your fourth glass of water, and I don’t want to be accused of
waterboarding you.”
— Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), quoted by Politico, in the middle of a long, contentious confirmation hearing for John Brennan as CIA Director.
Tweet of the Day
Why are people giving money to Karl Rove when he just wasted $400M without any victories? Use your head.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2013
Obama Says Pelosi Will Be Speaker Again
Following reports that he plans an aggressive campaign schedule in the midterm elections, President Obama predicted that if Democrats pursue an ambitious agenda, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will soon have the speaker’s gavel back, the Washington Post reports.
Said Obama: “It won’t be smooth, it won’t be simple, there will be frustrations, there will be times when you guys will be mad at me, and I’ll occasionally read about it. I would expect that Nancy Pelosi is going to be speaker again pretty soon.”
Braley Will Run for Harkin’s Seat
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) intends to run for the U.S. Senate seat that fellow Democrat Tom Harkin will leave open in 2014, his advisers told The Des Moines Register.
Braley also sent out the news in an email to supporters this morning saying he’s “ready to go.”
Crisis Tales
Out next month: Crisis Tales: Five Rules for Coping with Crises in Business, Politics, and Life by Lanny Davis.
Iowa Lawmaker Seeks to Define Abortion as Murder
Iowa State Rep. Rob Bacon (R) and eight of his colleagues introduced legislation to alter the definition of a person in murder cases to “an individual human being, without regard to age of development, from the moment of conception, when a zygote is formed, until natural death,” the Ames Tribune reports.
“Those charged with murder, under the bill, would include a mother who takes abortion-inducing drugs or a doctor who performs an abortion. It also grants no exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.”
Christie Gets Testy About His Weight
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took on a former White House doctor who said he was at risk of dying in office because of his weight, calling her a “hack” and telling her to “shut up” unless she examines him, ABC News reports.
Said Christie: “If she wants to get on a plane and come here to New Jersey and asks me if she wants to examine me and review my medical history, I’ll have a conversation with her about that. Until that time she should shut up.”
First Read: “This is about Christie trying to confront, on his terms, what would be one of his biggest obstacles if he launches a presidential bid in 2016. He knows this is a hurdle; he knows it’s not an insignificant one. The biggest thing is he has changed his tone on this, becoming much more open about it, even hinting that he’s on a program and that people would notice if it’s working relatively soon. As late as last year, Christie’s standard response was essentially: my weight is my business, period. Not anymore. If you needed a hint that Christie is trying to get it together to run for president, this is it.”
Quote of the Day
“I’ve always viewed politics the following way: if you do a good job at the job you’re doing, you’ll have opportunities to do other things in the future. Maybe things you never envisioned.”
— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted in a cover story in Time magazine.
Americans Confused About the NRA
A new Quinnipac poll finds that an astonishing 92% of Americans, including 89% of Republicans, support requiring a background check for all would be gun buyers. Fifty-six percent support banning assault weapons and high capacity magazine clips.
That said, Americans also say they think the National Rifle Association better represents their views than President Obama, 46% to 43%.
Greg Sargent: “Okay, so nine in 10 Americans support universal background checks, and solid majorities back the assault ban, both of which are opposed by the NRA and regularly characterized as gun-grabbing tyranny — yet people think the NRA better represents their views. There’s been a lot of chortling on the right about the NRA’s favorability ratings, but this poll makes it plain: People don’t have any idea what the NRA really stands for.”
